Strategies to Help Children Build Resilience…
Building resilience in children is essential for helping
them navigate challenges and thrive. Resilience is
dependent on many factors including a child's
developmental age and stage of life. Younger children
are more dependent on caregivers, but older
preschoolers and school age children are ready for
some more resilience skills.
Here are some effective strategies:
1. Encourage your child to solve problems. It can feel helpful to solve problems
for your child, but one of the best ways to build resilience is to build up problem
solving skills. As caregivers, we can help them problem solve by guiding them
through evaluating their options and consequences. We can also share our own
experiences and thought processes when faced with challenges.
2. Foster a growth mindset in your child. Growth mindset is essential for you
and for your child. It's the belief that our talent, intelligence and ability can grow
and improve with effort, learning and persistence. Growing up can be hard and
facing difficulties is part of it. We can help our children foster a growth mindset by
praising their effort rather than the result. We can also normalize failure by saying
"mistakes are opportunities to grow."
3. Teach your child coping strategies. Coping with difficulties is a normal part of
life for both adults and children. Introducing ways to cope is essential to reducing
stress in our life as well as our children's. As caregivers, introducing deep breathing,
meditation or yoga as a part of life can help buffer the impact of stress and provide
temporary help in times of need. Creating a designated space in your home or
"calming corner" can provide a retreat when feeling overwhelmed.
4. Set realistic goals for your child. Understanding your child's developmental
stage is essential to setting realistic goals for your child. When goals are too easy,
they don't have the effectiveness to provide resiliency. If they are too hard, we can
set our child up for failure. Finding goals that are just right for the development of
your child will build resiliency and be attainable. Consider breaking tasks into small
steps or allow them to take on age-appropriate challenges to build their
confidence. Remember to celebrate their progress not the result.
5. Model resiliency in ourselves. We can't ask kids to do things that we can do
ourselves. Model your own resiliency by using coping strategies and having a
growth mindset. Discuss your own challenges and how you overcame them. Show
them how to maintain optimism in difficult situations.
6. Lastly, Promote Gratitude and Positivity. Practicing gratitude regularly has
been a proven way to promote happiness and peace in your home. Help them
identify and appreciate the good aspects of challenging situations. Encourage your
child to express gratitude regularly, which can enhance their overall outlook.